Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
With her first memoir “All You Can Ever Know,” Nicole Chung candidly offered personal reflections on being a transracial adoptee. The bestselling author’s latest book “A Living Remedy” (Ecco) deals with grief, classism and America’s broken healthcare system, which contributed to the deaths of both her adoptive parents.
“I’m Black and I grew up in the South, so I can only say that I’ve heard certain countries aren’t friendly to minorities,” said “Walker” actress Kearran Giovanni. “But honestly, I’ve felt unwelcome in places within my own country my whole life so nothing can shock me at this point. It wouldn’t stop me.”
A rapper, singer, songwriter and producer, Kim Han-bin has been known professionally as B.I since his 2015 debut with the South Korean group iKON. The multi-hyphenate musician is a solo artist now and is promoting his latest album, “To Die For.” That title along with the promotional poster’s YOLO message – dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today – may lead people to speculate that the 26-year-old musician’s own mortality was on his mind when he composed his songs.
Helen Park wasn’t awake when the Tony Award nominations were announced a few weeks ago. “My agent called me and I was still asleep!” said Park, who bears the distinction of being the first Asian American female composer on Broadway. “When I checked my phone, the first text I saw was, ‘OMG’ and the second was, ‘You’re Tony nominated.’ I just sat on my bed completely speechless for about a good 20 minutes.”
“I definitely don’t get to explore as much as I would like, but I try to get one thing in per city,” said Zurin Villanueva, who stars in “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.” “I went to Paisley Park – home of the late Prince – in Minneapolis. I left invigorated and very inspired. His moxy to be exactly who he wanted to be, his love for his craft and his generosity is still striking.”
“I’m lucky to have family roots that stretch around the globe,” said screenwriter William Yu. “I was born in Philadelphia, moved to Hong Kong when I was five, then to Boston, and then to New York, before coming out here to Los Angeles. My older sister currently lives in London. While we still have family in Seoul, where my parents were born, my mother went to high school in Taiwan, while my father spent formative years in Jamaica, before the two ended up in America for college and beyond.”
“I would love to experience more musical exchange in my travels,” said Ian Chang, whose group Son Lux was nominated for an Academy Award for their scoring of the film “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” “Unfortunately, the standard touring model doesn’t allow for this because of how tight the travel and performance schedules tend to be. I do have a very fond memory of trading drum set lessons for cajón lessons in Lima with an incredible cajón player who was just 10 years old.”
“Ghana and Ireland are two of my favorite places,” said Damien D. Smith, who portrays Top Notch in the FX series “Snowfall.” Ireland was one of the most scenic places I’ve ever been, whether you are at the beaches, driving through the country, or taking in its lushness. I visited the Cliffs of Moher and visited several castles. I also had the opportunity to learn a lot about their history.”
Young Mazino plays Steven Yeun’s younger brother in the Netflix rage series “BEEF.” And he has the starring role in the upcoming series “Good Boy.” In this interview, we talk about acting, reclaiming his identity as an American, and that name of his that isn’t quite Korean. “I’ve been waiting for someone to ask,” he said, laughing. “You’re officially the first.” Read the full story here.
“My first overseas performance as a musician was in Japan,” says singer-songwriter SHAUN. “It was a club performance during the time I was playing in a band. We performed at a small venue called Eggman. I have fond memories of the enjoyable time we had. Prior to that, I visited several European cities in England, France and the Netherlands.”
In Maurene Goo’s novel “Throwback” (Zando Young Readers, $16.99), teenage protagonist Samantha goes back to the ’90s, where she befriends her 17-year-old mother, Priscilla. Satirical, humorous and thoroughly engaging, Goo’s novel also reflects on how what was once accepted as the norm – casual racism played off as a joke – is problematic when viewed through our modern lens.
“I sailed the Atlantic on an ocean liner in 1964,” said musician Peter Case. “That was pretty exciting for a 10-year-old kid. We went on some incredibly high and rough seas for a few days. Most of the people onboard were sick and upset, but I was just a child. I didn’t know enough to be concerned. The ship was lurching all around. The Beatles had just come out that year. I was listening to their singles on a jukebox in the cafe.”
Last seen in the Apple TV+ series “Dear Edward,” Idris Debrand is at work on the streaming site’s upcoming series “Sinking Spring,” where he plays the younger version of a character played by Brian Tyree Henry. “Ray is a complex character and we see some of the choices he’s made as a teenager and how they affect him in the present day,” said the British actor. “So [without giving] too much away, I play the reason why Ray is the way he is.
Steven Krueger stars opposite Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis in the Showtime series “Yellowjackets.” “I play coach Ben Scott, who’s the assistant soccer coach,” the actor said. “When our plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness on the way to the national championships, I wind up being the only adult and one of only a few males who are stranded with a group of high school girls.”
There are actors who sing and singers who act. Florence Dore is a professor who’s also an author and musician, and she’ll kick off her tour on March 21 to promote her latest album “Highways & Rocketships.” “My tour is a little unusual since in addition to the regular rock shows we are delivering, I am also trying to address the problem of how to bridge the divide between universities and the world beyond the so-called ivory tower,” said Dore, who teaches literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
When Alison Solis was growing up in Los Angeles, the Mexican-Cuban singer said she at times felt the sting of judgment from people who viewed her as too much of a minority, while some minorities said she presented as being too white. “I’ve definitely experienced the ‘go back to where you came from’ type of bullying as a kid,” said Solis, who simply goes by Alisun professionally.
“I am obsessed with Greece,” said “My Unorthodox Life” star Robert Brotherton. “The food, the vibe, the people – it is a beautiful place to visit and I always come home feeling refreshed, even after a debaucherous August jaunt to Mykonos!”
Currently co-starring as Père Renaud opposite Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren in the Paramount+ series “1923,” Sebastian Roché – whose credits also include – “The Last of the Mohicans,” “Beowulf,” “We Love You, Sally Carmichael!” – talked to us about his unorthodox upbringing, making his theater debut with Al Pacino and filming “1923” in Montana.
At just 19, Jacob Buster’s resume includes playing a vampire on Showtime’s “Let the Right One In” and portraying the high school protagonist searching for his family in “Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out,” which had its premiere recently at the Sundance Film Festival.
At just 21 years old, actor, singer and content creator La’Ron Hines has won a NAACP Image Award, released a music video for his latest single “Web of Lies,” and has gone viral on TikTok for his “Are You Smarter Than a Preschooler?” videos filmed at his family’s Mississippi daycare center. His latest project is a Snapchat series called “La’Ron In a Million.”